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Too many lives are being lost because of our need to constantly be in touch even while driving. For teens, the desire to instantly reply to a friend’s text message is great. We have to stop this selfish and dangerous trend, but how?

Sure, you can educate us about the risks and make cell phone use while driving a primary offense, but eventually the urge to send or reply to a text will be too great for many teens. So this is my proposal: I believe friends should help friends stop texting while driving. If you know your friend is driving, don’t text them.

Tell them not to text you. Be patient and be concerned, because you don’t want to find out that the last thing your friend was doing before crashing her car was trying to reply to your text. Teens look up to their peers. If we push our friends to stop, we will push ourselves to stop as well.

Who’s with me?

SARA STAMOS, Olympia

We understand the game

Amazing!

We received our property tax statement and so did our son and his wife who live behind us. The property values went down, but the taxes went up.

How come in the past when the values went up our taxes didn’t come down?

Do they really think we don’t get the game they are playing?

ANNE HOWLAND, Olympia

Unions have clout in Legislature

I noticed a couple of the bills were seemingly swayed by fear of the unions — wage freezes for nonunion workers and the furlough bill that Washington Federation of State Employees didn’t like.

Isn’t it fascinating how much power those people have — and a bit scary?

GEORGE LAVIGNE, Olympia

Legislature overrules will of the people

On President’s Day, there were dueling demonstrations where Ayn Rand’s philosophy of producers, looters, and moochers came alive in living color. The producers demanded looters stop confiscating their freedom and wealth through increased regulations and taxes. The unions demanded higher taxes for public employee wage increases and lower tuition for college students.

The Legislature:

1. Ignored voters three times by overturning our initiatives. Do they care that they have created the tyranny of the Legislature?

2. Voided I-960 by proclaiming an emergency — the same type of nonexistent emergency Gov. Chris Gregoire proclaimed four years ago when she denied voters the right to vote on a gas tax increase because of the Seattle viaduct (which is still undecided).

3. Caused this fiscal emergency by increasing government spending by 35 percent in five years. Are they now raising taxes to reward their favored few?

The current budget vote is being driven by political, not economic reasons. Government should provide tax money only for:

1. A social safety net but not a socialist safety net.

2. The resources necessary for public safety.

3. The building of the required infrastructure.

4. A quality and union-free education.

Government needs to give taxpayers a break. The taxpayer is not the politicians personal ATM. Memo to moochers and looters — too many parasites kill the host.

ARDEAN A. ANVIK, Elma

Voters are catching on to the Democrats

A letter writer claimed Republicans’ obstruction and the party of no could more reasonably be viewed by law enforcement of criminal activity. The writer’s apparent support for the Obama administration’s tactics of “Do whatever it takes,” pay for play bribery, or behind closed door politics for sweetheart deals, would be considered aiding and abetting by most people.

As for the misconduct by Republicans during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, the closed-door policies of the Democrats concealed their smirking, folded arms and contempt for the American people.

Plummeting poll numbers and the pummeling of the Democrats at the polls have forced the Democrats to re-evaluate their tactical agenda. The latest tactics are another promise of transparency, C-SPAN coverage of open debate and posting of proposed legislation for public scrutiny.

The writer’s claim of Republican obstruction to the Democrats’ agenda is not supported by the facts. The division within the Democratic Party has hamstrung the political agenda.

As for the Republican opposition to their own legislation, the writer omits the fact the Democrats continually attach their failed pork and earmark-laden legislation to critical legislation that must be passed.

The Democrats attached a failed pork and earmark-laden bill to the defense appropriations bill. Their rationale, the Republicans would have to pass the legislation or be painted as unpatriotic for failing to support the troops, or national defense. The outrage of their peers at the obvious deviousness of their tactic literally blew up in their face.